Obese teen girls more likely to be bullies: Study

Sharon Kirkey, Postmedia News01.22.2012

Bullying is associated with other forms of "interpersonal violence" as children develop -- including physical fights and carrying weapons for self-defence -- as well as depression and social anxiety, researchers write.

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Obese teens not only make easy targets for bullies, in the case of girls, they're more likely to turn into bullies themselves, according to the findings of a Canadian study on the social fallout of being overweight.

Researchers who followed more than 1,700 Ontario high school students for one year found that overweight and obese boys were twice as likely than their healthy-weight peers to be hit, kicked, pushed or shoved around. They also were two-times more likely to suffer "relational" bullying -- being shunned or excluded from groups and activities.

Obese girls, meanwhile, were three times more likely than healthy-weight girls to become the perpetrators of relational bullying -- a kind of psychological torment that can cut as deeply as any physical wound.

The research adds to growing evidence that obesity in childhood comes with profound social consequences, researchers from Queen's University, write in the journal, Obesity Facts.

Bullying is associated with other forms of "interpersonal violence" as children develop -- including physical fights and carrying weapons for self-defence -- as well as depression and social anxiety, they write.

"These relationships may have long-term health and social consequences, especially during critical periods of the life course."

Obesity among children and adolescents in Canada is tracking at an even faster pace than obesity among adults, and obesity-related health complications are now occurring in ever-younger children.

According to Statistics Canada, 17 per cent of children in Canada are overweight; nine per cent are obese. The proportion of teenage boys classified as overweight or obese has more than doubled since 1981, climbing to 31 per cent in 2009. Among teenage girls, it increased to 25 per cent from 14 per cent.

Yet, while more Canadians are joining the ranks of the overweight, stigma against the obese is pervasive, and growing. For years, the negative moral overtone has been that obese people have only themselves to blame. Far more is at play, says Ian Janssen, a co-author of the study and Canada Research Chair in physical activity and obesity at Queen's.

Genes influence weight. Whether parents can afford to buy fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains, live in safe neighbourhoods or enrol their children in sports and physical activity programs, also are factors, he said.

"A lot of these situations that can contribute to a person's body weight are well beyond the person's control -- and the public just really still doesn't understand that, especially kids."

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